


Waves Crash, Stars Fall

by paraselene



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, i love MY rare pairs, idk how to tag, maybe some jeongcheol if you squint, star tear disease, there's a sprinkle of wonhui here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:14:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24123433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paraselene/pseuds/paraselene
Summary: When sparkling tears fall from Soonyoung's eyes, he realizes who he actually has feelings for. But will the person he loves, love him back? Or will he end up losing the color in his life?a.k.a just a soonhoon star tear disease fic
Relationships: Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups & Yoon Jeonghan, Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi, Jeon Wonwoo & Wen Jun Hui | Jun, Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi/Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Lee Jihoon | Woozi & Wen Jun Hui | Jun
Comments: 9
Kudos: 69





	Waves Crash, Stars Fall

**Author's Note:**

> Shoutout to my beta reader Joy and my dear child Pam for helping me improve this fic <3

There it was again. The sound of crashing waves. It was loud as if he could be swept away at any moment.

Calming—is what he would've wanted to say. But the faint sound of the ocean waves was a reminder.

It was a reminder that the person he loves didn't love him back.

"T-This is bad..." Soonyoung muttered.

He lifted a hand to his face and touched his cheek. It was wet with tears. He then looked at his hand. The fingers that touched his cheek had something sparkling on them. It was his tears that were shaped like stars.

Star tears.

It was a sickness that plagued people with unrequited love. You would shed these tears if you were strongly thinking of the person that you loved but didn't love you back. You could go color blind, or you could lose your memories. And there was no actual cure available yet except for your love to be returned.

As much as the star tears seemed beautiful and magical, a person with the disease would slowly lose color in their life.

Soonyoung's star tears were a deep shade of aquamarine that resembled the color of the ocean. These tears were also the reason he could hear a faint sound of crashing waves, like what you would hear when you put a seashell by your ear.

His tears reminded him of the person whose hometown was a city surrounded by the sea. It reminded him of that person who loved taking a night walk on the beach. It reminded him of the person whom he just realized he loved, but he could never admit that now.

Soonyoung did his best to stop himself from crying anymore, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. But to be honest, he felt lost on what to do. He never wanted to admit he felt something for Jihoon because he was already happy. He was already in love and loved.

It was when he felt the threat of tears pouring out that he ran to the small playground near his apartment building. It was already evening; any child who had been playing here had already gone home. No one was around. So when he heard the rustling sound of dried leaves being stepped on, he was startled. He involuntarily turned to the direction of the noise and froze in his spot when he saw whose steps it were that startled him. His eyes grew wide when he recognized the figure that was walking towards him.

"Soonyoung, are you okay?" It was Seungcheol.

_No, he can't be here. He just can't. Not him of all people._

"C-Cheol...w-what are you doing h-here?" Soonyoung stuttered. He had panicked because he didn't expect Seungcheol to suddenly show up.

"What am I doing here? I was going to drop by your place, and I was a few feet away when I saw you running off. I followed you because I got worried," Seungcheol explained as he stepped closer to Soonyoung.

The lights at the playground were a bit dim, and he couldn't notice from a distance, but when Seungcheol came closer, he finally saw the sparkles in Soonyoung's eyes.

"Soonyoung, you..." Seungcheol couldn't find the right words to say. He was suddenly thrown into confusion. But he couldn't disregard the tears Soonyoung had.

Soonyoung sat on one of the swings; he hung his head low as he covered it with his arms. Tears still fell nonstop.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Seungcheol," he kept repeating in between sobs.

"It...It's not your fault," Seungcheol tried to console him. But doing so wasn't easy for him. Those sparkling aquamarine tears in Soonyoung's eyes drew out an ache in his heart. Seeing his love cry for someone else other than him was like reaching for the sky while submerged underwater; he felt like he was being suffocated and was unable to reach for it.

"It is my fault!" Soonyoung shouted. "I don't deserve you," he cried. Guilt was slowly consuming him. To think that he'd get the star tear disease when he was already supposed to be in a happy relationship with Seungcheol. It was wrong.

Seungcheol pursed his lips frowning, not because he was disappointed in Soonyoung, but because he felt like he couldn't do anything to help.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath; he looked back on their younger days. It was always him, Soonyoung, and Jihoon together since middle school. And he recalled how he and Soonyoung got together.

Falling in love with Soonyoung was easy. Although he was a year older than his two friends, they were all in the student council both in middle school and high school. Seungcheol had plenty of time to get to know Soonyoung.

His underclassman had a happy-go-lucky personality. He was also kind, helpful, and always sincere with his words and actions. And the way his eyes lit up when he laughs heartily, Seungcheol's heart was easily stolen. When they were in high school, he courted him for a few months until Soonyoung finally said yes.

They were happy until now. But in the back of his mind, Seungcheol thought that maybe they weren't meant to be together at all. Because he knew and felt that Jihoon was there, a silent comforting presence to Soonyoung aside from him. The person who would always be by Soonyoung's side when he wasn't there. And the person that saw more sides of Soonyoung that he could ever have known.

And it didn't do them any better that he somehow couldn't imagine a clear future between them. So all their attention in their relationship stayed in the present. Because why worry about the future if they were just going to regret it in the end for not living happily in the present.

Seungcheol bent down to meet Soonyoung eye level. "Is it Jihoon?" he asked. Soonyoung stopped sobbing, but he felt like shrinking away instead. The older sighed.

"Sometimes I notice, you know. The way you're naturally comfortable with him. Too comfortable if I have to be honest. As if you both have a bubble around you that no one could enter. But I kept telling myself you chose me so that I wouldn't get too jealous."

"I'm sorry," Soonyoung kept on repeating.

"You don't have to say sorry for your feelings," Seungcheol told him. "It's not like I can control it." Soonyoung could feel the pain in Seungcheol's voice that he winced. Seungcheol's words weren't kind to either of them.

"But still!" Sooyoung lifted his head to look at Seungcheol. His tear-stained face and puffy eyes should have made him look pitiful, but the sparkle left by the star tears added a kind of melancholic beauty. It made Seungcheol's heartache in a certain way. It was both beautiful and heartbreaking.

"You deserve better. Better than someone like me who starts having feelings for someone else even though we've already been dating for so long," Soonyoung said as he snuffled, his voice low and soft.

"And you deserve to be loved," Seungcheol firmly said. "I love you, Soonyoung. Even if it means that the best thing to do now is to let you go."

Soonyoung started crying again, aquamarine star tears falling from his eyes. He dived into open arms, and the older caught him unsteadily, causing them to stumble to the ground. He cradled his weeping boyfriend in his arms, rubbing circles on his back.  
  
"If he doesn't love me back, I could go color blind or lose my memories. I'm scared, Cheol," Soonyoung buried his face into Seungcheol's chest; the other's clothes got soaked from the tears. Seungcheol closed his eyes, trying to think of something to say that could comfort Soonyoung.

But around them fell silent. The short time neither spoke felt like time was being stretched; it was a long moment of quiet.

Seungcheol broke the silence with words that could be the biggest comfort for Soonyoung right now, but could also be one of the most painful things for him to say.

"I'm here. If you're scared, I'll be here for you." Soonyoung clutched his wet shirt, "Thank you, Cheol. Thank you. And I'm really, really sorry."

____________________

Jun had his head rested on Jihoon's lap. His hands reached up, cupping Jihoon's face as he giggled and talked about random things that happened so far during his day. Jihoon sat as still as he could, eyes closed, and hummed to whatever Jun said as a form of reply.

The sight rubbed off of Soonyoung in a bad way. A small bud of jealousy stemming in his heart. He slammed the door of the dance studio wide open, unable to stop himself from acting as such.

The noise startled the two on the floor, getting them to turn their heads to the direction of the door. Soonyoung ran off once they looked at him. Their gazes felt like a bucket of water being dumped on him; he felt ashamed of the way he acted.

Soonyoung bumped into Wonwoo on his way, but he didn't even apologize. He just ran straight ahead.

"Hey! Soonyoung, what the heck!?" Wonwoo shouted, upset at his friend's behavior. But his mood became even sourer when he saw the sight left inside the dance studio.

"Wonwoo!" Jun got up from his relaxed posture on Jihoon's lap. "Did you bump into Soonyoung? I think something's wrong. He's acting a bit weird."

Wonwoo sighed and answered Jun, "Yeah, something is wrong. Can we talk, Jun?" Jun was confused, but he nodded yes.  
  
"I think I'll go check on Soonyoung," Jihoon said to have an excuse to leave the room, sensing that Wonwoo and Jun may need some privacy.

As he was leaving, Jihoon felt like Wonwoo was sending him daggers. He returned the glares, engaging Wonwoo in what has become a staring contest. They only break away when Jun called out Wonwoo's name, and Jihoon ran out as soon as they broke their gaze from each other.

*

"I'm hopeless," Soonyoung mumbled to himself. He ran to the back of the building and cried there. Aquamarine star tears flowed like ocean waves.

He texted Seungcheol, asking him to come to his side. He was thankful that no once was around. He could cry without worrying about someone finding out his secret. But then he heard an all too familiar voice call his name. He froze. Jihoon following him was out of his expectations.

"Soonyoung, are you okay?" Jihoon asked. Luckily, Soonyoung has his back facing Jihoon. He only nodded in response and hoped that Jihoon wouldn't come closer to check if he was being honest. But he could hear footsteps nearing. As this made him panic, his tears fell like waterfalls.

"I-I'm okay," Soonyoung tried to sound normal, but the crack in his voice was giving him away.  
  
" _Where are you, Cheol? Please come faster,_ " he prayed in his mind, hoping that Seungcheol would somehow magically arrive before Jihoon sees the star tears he was shedding.

"Soonyoung, you..." Jihoon stopped when he was one step away from Soonyoung. He was trying to say something, but he paused. No other words were coming out if his mouth. "I..." he tried again, but his words seemed to have become stuck in his throat.

"Soonyoung!" both of them perked up when they heard someone call out Soonyoung's name. They both recognized who it was without even having to take a look. Jihoon turned to face Seungcheol, but Soonyoung stopped himself even if he wanted to run towards Seungcheol. He was afraid that Jihoon would see his tears.

Seungcheol's brows furrowed when he saw Jihoon; he was confused about why he was there. " _Did he see Soonyoung's star tears?"_ he brooded. But he left the thought for now and immediately went to Soonyoung's side.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a whisper. Soonyoung answered with a shake of his head side to side. Seungcheol placed a hand on the small of Soonyoung's back then looked at Jihoon.

Sensing that something was wrong, Jihoon was about to ask if anything happened to Soonyoung, or maybe to the both of them. But Seungcheol didn't give him the chance.

"I'll take care of things here, Jihoon," Seungcheol said, eyes only on Soonyoung. For some reason, this annoyed Jihoon.

"I'll go back then." Jihoon turned around to leave, but he left with one last thing to say, "Cheol, there's something I want to talk to you about later whenever you're free."

Hearing this, Soonyoung gripped the sleeve of Seungcheol's sweatshirt. The older looked down at his arm and kept silent. Seeing that Seungcheol was going to keep silent, Jihoon left.

"What happened?" Seungcheol finally asked, feeling a little less tense now that Jihoon was gone.

"I saw him and Jun acting close and comfortable together. I couldn't control my feelings and got jealous, so I slammed the dance studio's door open. But when they noticed me, I suddenly felt ashamed and ran away," he explained while he fiddled with the sleeve he held. Seungcheol rubbed Soonyoung's back to comfort him. The younger could only sigh.

"Things can't go on like this....right?" Soonyoung mused. Seungcheol's free hand balled into a fist. Frustration made him feel like he was being choked; he wasn't the one who could cure Soonyoung's disease.

"If only..." Seungcheol almost let out the feelings he had decided to bury in his heart as an ache started to settle in his chest. Soonyoung caught the sentiment in those two words and turned to look at him, a hand cupping his cheek.

"I'm sorry," Soonyoung's voice was weak as he offered an apology. Tears flowed again. Tears that reminded both of them of the sea and Jihoon.

Seungcheol pressed his forehead against Soonyoung, "You don't have to apologize. I already told you, didn't I? For you, I..."

____________________

"So what do you want to talk about, Cheol?"

The two of them decided to meet at a convenience store, a few days after their awkward meeting. Jihoon had something to say to Seungcheol, and Seungcheol likewise.

The older handed Jihoon a can of cola as they both leaned on the glass walls of the store outside.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking that? I mean you were the first one who said you had something to say," Seungcheol retorted as he opened his can. Jihoon didn't immediately speak. He opened his drink and took a sip from it first.

The two of them stood silent for a few moments, but there was no tension or awkwardness. A part of them felt like this was a conversation expected since lines were drawn between all three of them: Seungcheol, Soonyoung, and Jihoon.

"Are you and Soonyoung doing okay?" Going around this conversation would be pointless, so Jihoon figured it'd be best to be straightforward. Seungcheol burst out in laughter. That's right, Jihoon was a person careful with his words, but he was also direct when he needed to be.

"We broke up," he revealed, no hint of humor in his voice. And it shocked Jihoon, eyes widening at the news.

Seungcheol took another sip, and nonchalantly asked, "Say, Ji, is something going on between you and Jun?"

The question was another blow to Jihoon; it got him out of his initial shock from the first thing that Seungcheol said.

"Wait, wait, wait! Forget about me for a second. You and Soonyoung broke up!? Since when?" he pressed his older friend for answers, but Seungcheol kept silent. Jihoon sighed, knowing that Seungcheol was going to be stubborn and keep quiet. So he decided to answer Seungcheol's question first instead.

"Jun's flirting with me to make Wonwoo jealous. I don't return any of his advances, and he doesn't cross the line because that was our deal. He'd act all clingy whenever we were together and only complain about how Wonwoo is an idiot." Seungcheol reacted with a monotonous hum, making Jihoon roll his eyes.

"You're not the type to do stuff like that. What does Jun have a hold on you?" the older asked, a brow raised. Jihoon looked away, unwilling to answer the question. But in the next second, he sighed and still answered, "He treats me to lunch sometimes."

"Just lunch? Hmm..." Seungcheol scoffed. As Jihoon was about to take his turn to be the interrogator, the older cut in with another question, "Jihoon, you have to be completely honest with me. Do you like—No. Do you love Soonyoung?"

"Seungcheol, you..." The sound of people going in and out of the convenience store, the distant roaring of car engines, the common noises of the city, all of it was drowned out from Jihoon's hearing with that one question.

"I wonder if, since high school, the three of us were just going in circles," Seungcheol mulled, taking another sip.

"What do you mean?" Jihoon was starting to get upset.

"Soonyoung has the star tear disease."

Jihoon's hearing returned with a crashing sound. "You're joking right?"

"He doesn't want you to know because he doesn't want you to feel guilty or take responsibility for his feelings. But I want Soonyoung to be happy, Ji. Even if it means that I have to let him go." Every word felt like a punch to Jihoon. Nothing has sunk in yet for him and he was still trying to process Seungcheol's every word.

"The three of us have been together since middle school. Do you have no feelings for Soonyoung? Cause if you don't, I'm going to make him see that I'm here. I'm going to make him properly fall in love with me," Seungcheol finished the rest of his drink after his declaration and crushed the can, shooting it into the trash bin.

Jihoon lowered his head, thinking deeply. Seungcheol patiently waited for his answer. When he finally had an answer, before he could say it, Seungcheol had told him where he'd find Soonyoung, "He's at Hangang Park. He said he was going to take a walk to get some fresh air."

"Thanks! I owe you," Jihoon ran off, leaving Seungcheol alone. He needed to talk to him now. He needed to know. He needed to clear things with him.

Seungcheol slumped down once Jihoon was out of sight. He then looked up and ruffled his hair before letting out another sigh.

"Seungcheol?" a different but familiar voice called out to him. He looked up and was surprised to see that it was one of his classmates.

"Jeonghan?"

"Are you okay?" Jeonghan asked as he sat down as well. "Don't tell me you just got dumped," he teased. Seungcheol chuckled.

"It's complicated," he only said. Jeonghan didn't ask him further. The two of them sat there quietly, looking at the street in front of them, dim streetlights lighting up the way, with people quietly passing by.

"Do you think I'll get the star tear disease?" Seungcheol asked in a joking manner. Jeonghan didn't look at him when he retorted, "Will you be an obsessed ex-boyfriend who won't move on?"

Seungcheol frowned, feeling that Jeonghan's words were a bit mean. "I won't be like that."

"Sorry, I was just teasing," Jeonghan laughed at Seungcheol's pouting face. Rather than getting more annoyed, he felt his cheeks getting oddly hot.

"But if you're able to let go of your love without any regrets, I don't think you'll catch it," Jeonghan finally looked at Seungcheol, and with a grin. The smile seemed to be contagious because Seungcheol was smiling as well.

"Here, I'll give you this," Jeonghan rummaged through the plastic bag he was holding and handed out a small pink-colored carton to Seungcheol.

"Strawberry milk...?" Seungcheol read the label out loud.

"It's my favorite. Be thankful I even gave you one."

Seungcheol looked at the small carton of strawberry milk and smiled, "Thanks."

"I'm going now," Jeonghan stood up and walked away. Before he was too far for Seungcheol to hear, he turned around and said, grinning, "I hope you fall in love with someone who'll love you back."

The smile Seungcheol had widened even more.

____________________

The city lights sparkled across the river's water and the people's laughter permeated through the air. Jihoon ran around the park to find Soonyoung, the cool night breeze brushing past him.

When he ran out of breath, he decided to rest for a short while. He didn't expect that near the spot he stood to catch his breath is where Soonyoung would be. He was there sitting on the grass and staring into the distance. Jihoon quietly walked towards him, careful not to scare Soonyoung off.

"Is this spot taken?" When Soonyoung heard his voice, he immediately recognized it. So even without looking who it was, he immediately stood up to walk away. But Jihoon caught his hand and pulled him to sit back down again.

As he was shocked by the sudden force, his head turned to look at Jihoon in reflex. There it was for Jihoon to finally see. His aquamarine-colored star tears. The faint sound of crashing waves was still there, but the buzzing in Soonyoung's head was louder.

"You do have it, the star tear disease..." a frown grew on Jihoon's face, and that look pricked Soonyoung's heart.

"Jihoon..." the name came out of his lips, soft but with a trace of heartache. His puffy red eye should have already dried out, but tears still fell. Jihoon looked at him; the pain on his face was something Soonyoung couldn't simply ignore.

"Why do you look like that?"

In a blink of an eye, Jihoon wrapped him in his arms. He was too confused to move or say anything. But then his shoulder felt wet. As he glanced at the body embracing his, it looked like it was trembling.

"A-Are you crying?" Instead of getting a verbal reply, Jihoon's arm tightened around him.

"W-wait, Ji," Soonyoung tried to break away, but Jihoon wasn't keen on letting him go.

"I'm sorry," this was what Soonyoung was trying to avoid, for Jihoon to feel guilty about his condition. He circled his arms around Jihoon and rubbed his back gently. "You don't have to apologize for anything," he consoled him.

Jihoon loosened his arms and faced Soonyoung properly.

Golden tears and a twinkling sound. Just like the stars shining in the sky.

Jihoon had it as well. The star tear disease.

Soonyoung's fingers touched Jihoon's cheeks, following streaks left by the tears. He wiped away the golden shimmer from Jihoon's eyes.

"Since when?" Soonyoung asked.

"Since we were in high school," Jihoon answered. "I'm already color-blind."

The truth strikes a sharp pain in Soonyoung's heart. To think that Jihoon had already been in love with him before.

Jihoon looked down, bangs hiding his face as he spoke more. "Before I could confess, you and Seungcheol already got together. And both of you looked happy until now, so I decided not to say anything about my feelings. I didn't think you'd catch the star tear disease as well."

Soonyoung thought he had always liked Seungcheol, but to see someone else other than him to be by Jihoon's side and act comfortable, an unsettling feeling rooted in his heart. Before he realized, he had been swallowed up by jealousy and insecurity. And that's when the tears that reminded him of the ocean overflowed.

"I think I love you, Jihoon." As Soonyoung said this, his tears once again overflowed. But this time, the tears were crystal white, and he could no longer hear the sound of crashing waves.

Jihoon lifted his head and looked at Soonyoung. "You think? Not 'You do'?" he teased, causing Soonyoung to pout.

"I love you, Jihoon."

Suddenly, like a rainbow appearing after a downpour, colors came crashing into Jihoon's view. He blinked his eyes a few times until he was finally certain—he could properly discern colors again.

He lifted his hand and wiped away Soonyoung's tears. Then he cupped his cheek, closing the distance between them. Their lips met in a simple kiss. But when they pulled away, they kissed again, much deeper this time. The feelings that they kept hidden had overflowed. The kiss grew intense and they fell on Soonyoung's back, still not wanting to part.

"I love you. I always have," Jihoon kissed Soonyoung one more time. With closed eyes, Soonyoung savored the taste and feel of Jihoon's lips on his.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello. How are you all doing? It's been a while right. And if you've checked, I deleted my WIPs... It's been hard dealing with a really bad writer's block, and I guess that was the result of it.
> 
> But I was also able to bring this out after being able to write again. I'm not super satisfied, but I think it's pretty awesome to churn out 4k words after months of struggling to write.
> 
> How did you like it? I feel like it's a bit different from my usual stories. I found this idea (star tear disease) on twitter, and I thought, why not give it a try. Did you catch the small things I wanted to express? Was I able to convey the story properly? I'd love it if you could leave some comments.
> 
> I'll be taking small steps with my writing, so I may not be back with something new anytime soon. In the meantime, please enjoy my current works.
> 
> -Lune


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